Tea Break
by Jaelle
Summary: The officers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Station (Beika District) discuss the perplexing mystery of Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara over tea.


Tea Break by Jaelle  
  
**  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own em, never will. Wouldn't mind it though. Sadly, Gosho Aoyama got there first.  
  
This fanfiction is set after the season six episodes 156-157, The Metropolitan Police Detective Love Story 2, in which Satou sends Takagi off to investigate a case with the aid of Conan and the Detective Kids.  
  
**  
  
"Oh, Takagi," Miwako Satou paused on the threshold of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Station (Beika District) Tearoom. "I'm sorry, did you want to be alone?"  
  
Wataru Takagi looked up at her from his cup of tea and smiled shyly. "Don't worry about it Satou," he reassured her. "I'm just on a tea break."  
  
"Me too, mind if I join you?"  
  
Takagi blushed slightly as she asked the question.  
  
"Of course not!" he gestured expansively to the rest of the empty tearoom. "Come on in!"  
  
Satou entered the room and went to pour herself some tea. *I can't believe it, the room is practically EMPTY. Are they having another sale at the doughnut store down the road?* She thought to herself. *So, just me and Takagi hmmm? This is almost like going out for a meal together. Ooooh, I must tell him that and watch him go red!*  
  
"So, Takagi," she turned, tea in hand, to see Takagi's face set in concentration. "Uh, what's up?"  
  
"Huh?" Takagi shook himself. "Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking about the case today."  
  
"Oh yeah, I heard you got scolded by everyone from Megure downwards! I'm sorry about that! Honestly, those guys don't have to worry about me so much."  
  
"I know, you can really take care of yourself," Takagi grinned. "No I was just thinking about the investigation. With the kids."  
  
"The Child's Detective Club?" Satou giggled. "They're an engaging lot aren't they? I have a horrible feeling we may have created a monster, they're certainly never going to let the police conduct investigations around them anymore. They're going to be constantly poking their noses!"  
  
"Yeah," Takagi sighed as he considered the children grown up. "Let's just hope none of them ever goes into investigative journalism!"  
  
"Well, maybe they'll all join the police force," Satou said, sitting down on the sofa opposite Takagi. "Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko will do nicely as officers. I'm not so sure about the strange little blonde girl, Ai, but maybe she could go into forensics. And as for Conan!"  
  
"Yes, Conan," Takagi echoed. "He's very sharp isn't he?"  
  
"Razor-sharp," Satou agreed. "I have a horrible feeling he's going to cut himself with his own cleverness one day. But hopefully his friends will pull him through it."  
  
"Mmmm..."  
  
Satou quirked an eyebrow at her partner. "Mmmm what?"  
  
"Oh nothing. It's just, he's so incredibly mature for a child his age," Takagi said. "And so intelligent. It's unusual. I wonder if the rest of his family are like that?"  
  
"Must be," Satou said. "I mean, just look at Professor Agasa!"  
  
Takagi looked surprised. "What about the Professor?"  
  
"Well, he is Conan's grandfather isn't he?" Satou stared at him. "That's what I'd always assumed."  
  
Takagi shook his head. "No, it's Ai that's related to Professor Agasa."  
  
"That can't be right."  
  
"What can't be right?" Ninzaburo Shiratori walked into the tearoom. "And is there any Earl Grey tea left?"  
  
"Yes there is, and we're discussing whether or not Conan or Ai is related to Professor Agasa," Satou replied, as Takagi cast a brief irritated glance at Shiratori.  
  
Shiratori raised an eyebrow at this as he went to get his tea. "I don't believe either of them are related to the Professor. I think Ai may be a student of his though, and Conan is only known to him through his friendship with Detective Mouri."  
  
"But Mouri and the Professor don't seem to get along very well at all!" Takagi protested. "I mean, they're polite, but friends?"  
  
"He's right," Satou spoke up. "Mouri isn't interested in science, and Professor Agasa is interested in nothing else! Conan must have met him somewhere else. Maybe through Ran?"  
  
"Who's Ran met now?" Chiba entered the tea room, accompanied by three other officers. "You've all met Hiramatsu, Tamagawa and Shimada right? Are we all on a break now?"  
  
"Looks like it," Satou said. "Hey, do YOU know anything about Conan and Ai?"  
  
"Other than the fact they're occasionally freakishly intelligent?" Chiba asked. "No."  
  
"I wouldn't call it _freakish_," Takagi protested.  
  
"_I_ would," Shiratori muttered into his tea.  
  
"But, on the other hand, if Ai IS a student of Professor Agasa's, wouldn't it make sense that a genius like the Professor would be teaching a prodigy?" Takagi mused.  
  
"If she's a prodigy, why's she in grade school?" Satou demanded. "Shouldn't she be in a special academy or something?"  
  
"Maybe she's only a prodigy in one area?"  
  
"_Can_ you be a prodigy in only one area? I thought it had to be a general thing."  
  
"I think that's a genius."  
  
"There's a difference?"  
  
"A genius is a person with exceptional power or ability, especially with the mind," Shiratori jumped in to prevent further argument. "A prodigy is a person with an exceptional or marvellous gift of some sort."  
  
"There!" Takagi said. "She must be a prodigy of some sort and is staying with Professor Agasa to nurture that particular gift while developing as normal with the other children."  
  
"It doesn't seem to be working," Satou commented. "She's very strange sometimes. I wonder what her prodigious gift _is_?"  
  
Chiba shrugged. "Probably something to do with science," he said, "since she's staying with the Professor anyway."  
  
"But that still doesn't explain where Conan fits in," Takagi continued determinedly.  
  
"Conan? I thought he was Mouri's nephew," Chiba said in some surprise.  
  
He was shouted down by all the officers in attendance, and a few more that had just walked in.  
  
"You must be joking!" Satou said loudly. "Conan and Mouri related? Ridiculous!"  
  
"There's no way that could be possible!" Takagi echoed.  
  
"But sometimes people who are related aren't very similar. Look at Mouri and Ran!" Chiba argued back.  
  
"Absolutely NOT!" Shiratori interposed firmly. "They are not related Chiba, now let it go."  
  
Everyone grumbled and then subsided to a quiet mutter under their superior's sharp glare.  
  
"Well then WHY is he living with Mouri?" Chiba demanded.  
  
"Maybe his parents are dead?" Someone at the back of the room suggested. "And he went to Mouri because they were old school friends?"  
  
"I still think he's related to Professor Agasa," Satou said determinedly. "And Agasa asked Ran to look after him."  
  
"Why? He's looking after Ai by himself isn't he? Why couldn't he take Conan too?"  
  
"Maybe Conan's a detective prodigy?"  
  
"What do you mean maybe?"  
  
"What are you TALKING about? Just because the kid makes a few lucky guesses..."  
  
"What do you mean what am I talking about, what are YOU talking about? I'm telling you there's something weird with that kid!"  
  
"How would you know, these kids today with their internet and stuff, they're all growing up too fast."  
  
"Who are we talking about again?"  
  
"Conan, the kid that stays with Mouri."  
  
"Oh him. He'll make a great cop someday."  
  
"I thought he was going to be a scientist, like Professor Agasa."  
  
"Why would he do that?"  
  
"Isn't he the Professor's nephew?"  
  
"I thought he was just a student."  
  
"We've already covered this," Takagi interjected, trying to regain some control over the growing argument. "Neither Ai nor Conan are related to the Professor."  
  
"Well, are they related to each other?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because their last names are Edogawa and Haibara, and neither of those names is even REMOTELY similar to the other," Satou shot back.  
  
"They could be fake," Chiba suggested. "Edogawa certainly sounds phony to me."  
  
"Why would a 7 year old boy have a fake surname?"  
  
"Witness protection?"  
  
"Alright, now you're just being ridiculous."  
  
"This whole ARGUMENT is getting ridiculous," Shiratori interrupted again. "Does anybody have any actual FACTS?"  
  
Silence fell.  
  
"Hey, maybe he's related to that Kudo kid."  
  
But not for very long.  
  
As arguments broke out all through the room, Satou, Takagi and Shiratori tried to regain control of what had become a huge debate, without a great deal of success. And the longer the 'discussion' continued, the more outlandish it became:  
  
"Hey, maybe he IS Shinichi Kudo, gone back in time!"  
  
"You've been reading too many science-fiction books Tamagawa!"  
  
"It could happen!"  
  
"Sure, in an ANIME maybe! And who's the girl then? The mad scientist who sent him back in time?"  
  
"Maybe THAT'S what she's a prodigy in, time travel!"  
  
"Ahem."  
  
"Time travel is impossible you nit!"  
  
"There's no need for name calling!" Satou shouted. "Calm down everyone!"  
  
"I said, Ahem."  
  
"Maybe he's a dwarf?"  
  
"Um, people?"  
  
"A DWARF???? Sure, and maybe he's the FAIRY KING!"  
  
"Guys..."  
  
"Maybe he's an adult stuck in a child's body?"  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Takagi yelled in exasperation. "Next thing you'll be telling me he's Shinichi Kudo, poisoned and shrunk to a younger form of himself by some sort of global criminal conspiracy because he knew too much, and he's now in hiding lest he be found and executed. Be serious people!"  
  
"SHUT UP EVERYONE!"  
  
Takagi jumped and turned to face Shiratori. Everyone else blinked and stared at the normally perfectly-polite Inspector, who had now gone beet red.  
  
"What is it Shiratori?" Satou asked.  
  
"Inspector Megure has been trying to get our attention for the last five minutes," he said rather stiffly.  
  
Everyone's eyes turned to the door, where their chief stared at them all impassively.  
  
"Thank you Shiratori. Now that I have everyone's attention," he glared at them all. "I would like to point out that your break time is now well and truly OVER and that there are a number of assignments still needing to be done. Of course, if you happen to have some spare time..."  
  
The tearoom emptied hurriedly, until only Takagi, Satou and Shiratori were left. Megure turned his gaze on to each of them.  
  
"Now, will someone please explain to me what this was all about?"  
  
"Uh... it was sort of my fault," Takagi said hesitantly. "I was having a discussion with Satou and Inspector Shiratori and it sort of got out of hand."  
  
"I can see that. What was the topic of the discussion?"  
  
"I was curious about the boy Conan, who lives with Mouri," Takagi stuttered out. "I was just wondering, what his relationship was, where he was from, and why he was so strange."  
  
"And the girl too, Ai Haibara," Satou interjected.  
  
Megure sighed. "And none of you thought to _ask_?"  
  
"Things... got out of control rather quickly," Shiratori said. "It's not really Takagi's fault. I think everyone's curious and it seems that they've all developed their own little pet theories."  
  
"I see," Megure said. "The rumour mill at work again. Well, would you three please pass out the following information: Conan is a very distant relative of Professor Agasa's, who was asked to look after the boy. The Professor then asked Ran Mouri to care for him, as he didn't feel up to the job. Later on, Ai Haibara was sent to him to study because she has a talent for science. He didn't feel that he could send her to Ran Mouri also, and that's why he doesn't have both children. Neither of them are related to Mouri, the Professor, OR the Kudos. Alright?"  
  
"Yes sir!" All three chorused.  
  
"Dismissed. Oh, and Takagi..." he called to him just as she was leaving.  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"That comment about Conan being Shinichi Kudo shrunk by a criminal organisation?"  
  
"Yes sir?" Takagi sweat-dropped and wondered where this was going.  
  
Megure winked at him. "Good one. I thought that was _particularly_ funny."  
  
"Uh, yes sir! Thank you sir!" Takagi grinned and dashed back to work. It was a funny one really. He'd have to remember to use it next time everyone started drinking.  
  
The End.  
  
**  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
This story was inspired by a conversation with Orla when we briefly wondered why everyone was so accepting of Conan's appearance and noone ever asked who he was or anything. I just started wondering what the various police officers must think, and that was where the story started.  
  
I wanted to have a lot of police officers in there, which is why I had Chiba introduce the three he brought in there so it felt like they were people, not just ciphers. As far as I know, there are no officers of these names in the series, which isn't surprising, as the names are those of the three seiyuu who played Miyuki, Natsumi and Nakajima in the OAV series of You're Under Arrest.  
  
Oh, and the definitions of genius and prodigy that Shiratori provides are courtesy of the Collins Pocket Reference English Dictionary (1988).  
  
Apparently, the police are all from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (thanks to Kasuga for pointing that out) - however they apparently specialise in the Beika District, so I've assumed that they must be the District HQ. I could still be completely wrong of course. Oh well.  
  
Jaelle. Completed 11.21 pm, 8th September 2002. 


End file.
